During the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the demand from international partners to see work by disabled artists. Much of this strategic work is within countries where national bodies and governments are looking to advance disability equality and have identified culture as a way to do this. As creators of high quality work we have been ideally placed to capitalise on these opportunities. Working closely with the British Council we have earned recognition in international circles as speakers and innovators in disability arts – we are in demand for overseas touring, mentoring and development.

“The practice of disabled artists – e.g. Claire Cunningham, Birds of Paradise/Robert Softley Gale [is a distinctive model internationally]. These artists were championed through policy and funding interventions…”
from ‘As Others See Us: What Makes Scotland’s Cultural Sector Distinctive?’, British Council Scotland

The international work of the company has been developing over many years, with visits to Holland, Brazil, Rwanda, Mexico, Bangladesh and other countries to deliver training, workshops and presentations of and on our work and methods. Our profile on Disability Arts International can be viewed here.

Current international work

Project March 2025

BOP × Nepal

Collaborating with Diverse Patterns in Nepal to enhance arts accessibility. Series of remote workshops leading to a groundbreaking production in 2025

We have created two new shows overseas –

• Urod: The Last Show (2016) was made in Siberia at the Skomorokh Puppet Theatre working with the Skomorokh Company and Deaf Theatre Group Indigo. The show received a Moscow Golden Mask Theatre Award Nomination.
• In Hong Kong and Glasgow we staged major experimental digital work as part of the Shakespeare Lives Festival Miranda and Caliban: The Making of a Monster (2016). The work in Hong Kong has enabled us to build long-term relationships with Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong, The British Council and Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.

Blog 30 Nov 2019

BOP in Sao Paulo

In November 2019, BOP was invited by British Council Brazil and Instituto Tomie Ohtake to attend the 6th International Congress of Education and Accessibility […]

Blog 1 Nov 2018

BOP in Rwanda

In 2018, BOP had the pleasure of being invited by the British Council to deliver a series of workshops in association with Amizero Dance Company […]

We also began a long term relationship developing D/deaf and disabled work in the Netherlands and toured Wendy Hoose to Spain in 2016.

In early 2018 we were undertaking work in Mexico and Rwanda on behalf of the British Council. In Mexico, outgoing Artistic Director Garry Robson delivered training alongside BOP friend Kinny Gardner.

Workshop participants identified several key benefits –

• It educated artists on creative access, aiming to diversify audiences and challenge existing attitudes towards disabled people.
• Participants gained practical skills, such as improving presentations for disabled audiences, incorporating sign language, and enhancing work for blind audiences.
• The program inspired a re-evaluation of working practices, encouraging participants to include disabled people in their creative workforce, integrate access solutions into projects and workplaces, and consider diverse needs in their work.
• Participants planned to expand their networks by building relationships with sponsors and other organisations to support disability and access projects, including creating accessible versions of existing works.
• Finally, participants expressed a commitment to fostering a culture of acceptance, exploring new perspectives by collaborating with people with different abilities, and applying creative access principles to future projects, including incorporating audio description, checking accessibility, and using creative access to enhance communication.